Mastermind of the Akatsuki

From the eastern coast of the Land of Fire to the shores of the Land of Snow, the journey took Byakuya and his companions two full weeks. Along the way, they encountered several bands of rogue ninjas, ranging from simple bandits to powerful A-ranked missing-nin. However, none proved to be a match for Byakuya and Konan, each falling easily to their combined strength.

Upon reaching the Land of Snow, Byakuya and the others donned thick winter coats, preparing for the journey to the capital. Koyuki Kazahana and Sandayū Asama, besides bundling up, also wore heavy scarves and dark goggles, wary of being recognized by the local ninja.

But Byakuya stopped them, saying seriously, "Lady Koyuki, you are the legitimate heir of the Land of Snow. There's no need to hide your identity. Let's head directly to the capital. I'll handle any trouble we encounter along the way."

Though Koyuki hesitated, she recalled Byakuya's impressive strength and nodded in agreement. Byakuya was right: she was the rightful heir. Announcing her return to the Land of Snow would rally her father's old allies and the support of the people.

As they arrived at the port, she observed the lives of the residents, noting how much worse things seemed compared to when she had escaped years ago. This convinced her further that Doto's rule was oppressive; how could a man who had murdered his own brother rule fairly?

With Byakuya's help, Koyuki resolved to defeat Doto and claim her place as the new daimyo.

---

A few hours later.

"People of the Land of Snow, I am Koyuki Kazahana, daughter of Sōsetsu Kazahana. I have returned to…"

In the square by the port, Koyuki held up a symbol of her heritage and loudly proclaimed herself as the daughter of Sosetsu, vowing to overthrow Doto's rule.

The crowd looked on, expressions full of doubt. They remembered that Sosetsu's daughter, Koyuki, had supposedly died years ago, confirmed by Doto himself. And even if she were alive, what could this girl do? Could she really reverse Doto's policies and change their lives? How could a teenage girl possibly wield power?

Seeing the doubtful faces, Koyuki's expression dimmed, and she held out her family emblem once more, signaling Sandayū to step up beside her.

Among the crowd, many recognized Sandayū, including merchants and local elites who had previously dealt with him. Sandayū's appearance was almost enough to prove that the girl was indeed the rightful heir, Sosetsu's daughter.

It also planted seeds of suspicion—was Sosetsu's death, years ago, a conspiracy?

Stepping up, Sandayū gave a rousing speech, recounting Doto's betrayal alongside Koyuki, hoping to rally support for her claim to the daimyo title.

Their public proclamation quickly drew the attention of various factions. Those loyal to Doto debated capturing Koyuki and Sandayū to hand them over to their lord. Meanwhile, Doto's opponents pondered whether to ally with Koyuki, hoping to gain favor if she reclaimed power. Others were simply bystanders, content to watch as long as the chaos didn't affect them—whether Doto or another member of the Fubuki family ruled made little difference to them.

In the crowd, several ninja bearing the Snow Village (Yukigakure) forehead protector watched Koyuki and Sandayū intently. Seven or eight years ago, they had taken part in Doto's plot to kill Sosetsu, helping solidify the Snow Village as the only ninja village in the land.

(AN: Snow Village is also called Yukigakure but I will use English name since many don't recognize the Japanese name)

With such deep-rooted ties, they felt compelled to act, no matter who Koyuki truly was. Their orders were clear: make sure Koyuki and Sandayū disappear from the public eye—permanently.

The Snow Ninja held off on attacking Koyuki and Sandayū, wary of the possibility that they might be under the protection of skilled ninja. If there were no ninja with them, it would be unlikely that they'd dare return to the Land of Snow, as fighting without proper intelligence was a huge risk in their line of work.

As the crowd in the square grew larger, the Snow Ninja exchanged glances and decided to withdraw. Rather than risking a confrontation with Koyuki and her unknown allies, it made more sense to report the situation to Lord Doto and let him dispatch reinforcements.

After running a short distance down the road, they suddenly stopped, sensing something from around a nearby corner. Turning, they found Byakuya and Konan calmly blocking their path. Byakuya spoke in a low voice, "Sorry, gentlemen, but we can't let you go back and alert anyone. We have a job to complete for Lady Koyuki."

The Snow Ninja exchanged uneasy looks and immediately launched an attack. After creating enough distance, they activated their chakra armor, which boosted their chakra levels considerably. They began to form hand signs, muttering lowly:

"Ice Release: Ice Pillar!"

"Ice Release: Snowflake Technique!"

Upon completing their jutsu, ice pillars shot up from the previously smooth ground, and snowflake-shaped shuriken began to solidify, hurtling toward Byakuya and Konan.

Effortlessly, Byakuya and Konan took to the air, evading the ice techniques by flying high above. Seeing their airborne opponents, the Snow Ninja's expressions shifted from smug confidence to deep concern. Flight was no ordinary ability as only highly skilled ninjas, usually at the elite jonin level or higher, could fly.

Their squad captain, Nadare Rōga, gritted his teeth and activated his chakra armor to ascend as well. Forming hand signs, he shouted, "Ice Release: Shuriken Technique!"

In an instant, countless ice shuriken took shape and launched toward Byakuya.

But Byakuya didn't bother dodging; the ice shuriken passed harmlessly through him, and a moment later, he reappeared behind Nadare, landing a powerful punch to his stomach. The blow was so forceful that it incapacitated Nadare instantly.

After subduing the jonin-level captain, the rest of the Snow Ninja surrendered under Konan's relentless barrage of explosive tags. Given the overwhelming power difference, there had been no contest at all.

Byakuya seized Nadare's collar and leaned close, whispering, "Your Ice Release is impressive, but it's clear you're just using the environment here to mimic true Ice Release. It's not an actual ice-style kekkei genkai."

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Please check out my new fic: My Journey as Fourth Kazekage